To cope with the ever-increasing volume of telecommunications in the world, the telecommunications satellites are becoming increasingly powerful. Their electronic payload (traveling wave tubes in particular) thus gives off a considerable thermal power, approximately 60% of the electrical power of the satellite, that is to say, routinely of the order of several kW, and the cooling of this payload becomes increasingly difficult to perform. This problem is exacerbated by another phenomenon. In effect, the number of free positions in geostationary orbit is limited which makes it necessary to design satellites that are evermore powerful to be stationed in this orbit, to maximize the use thereof. Various techniques have been considered to solve this power/cooling problem for high-power satellites.
The progressive raising of the frequency bands used to higher frequencies further increases this problem, because of the concomitant losses in the waveguides installed between the payload and the transmission antennas, which makes it necessary to further increase the electrical power of the payload.
The aim of the present invention is to propose a solution to all or some of these problems.